QUANTIFYING WAVE EXPOSURE DAILY AND HOURLY ON THE INTERTIDAL ROCKY SHORE OF CENTRAL CHILE

To quantify wave exposure on the rocky shore coast of central Chile, m aximum water velocity recorders (dynamometers) of three different desi gns were placed in the intertidal zone and observed for a two week per iod during february 1995. Maximum velocity is considered as a gauge of exposure. The three devices examined here are both inexpensive and si mple to build. Included among the designs was a recorder developed by us to allow velocity readings in the intertidal to be taken from afar. Thus exposure can be measured as the tide rises. A thorough descripti on of each device is included. They recorded comparable quantified mea sures of wave exposure at sites subjectively designated as: sheltered, semi-exposed and exposed. The maximum water velocity recorded was 8.7 m s(-1) at the exposed site.